Furnace-door opener.



PATENTBD JUNE 23, 1903.

J. E. SWQKSQN. FURNACE DQQE OPENER. APPLIOATIONIILBD mm. a. 1902.

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No; 731,972. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1 903. J. E. swousou. FURNACE 110011 OPENER.

APPLICATION, TILED FEB. 6, 1902.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT Patented June 23, 1903.

OFFICE.

JOHN E. SWONSON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO BUTLER MACHINE COMPANY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

FURNACE-DOOR OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,972, dated June 23, 1903. Application filed February 6,1902. Serial No. 92,769- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. SwoNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Door Openers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide.

means of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction to be applied to a furnace-door,

whereby the operator or fireman may by placing his foot upon a vertically-movable rod in the floor set a valve in position where a steam or com pressed-air pipe will communicate with a cylinder and operate a piston in the center connected with the furnace-door and when said sliding rod is released the door will be closed by spring-pressure.

My invention consists in said details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device,whereby the objects contemplated are as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a part of a furnace with my improvements applied to the furnace-door. Fig. 2 shows an edge View of the furnace-door and means for 0pcrating it, the furnace front and floor being shown in section. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged detail sectional view through the steam or compressed-air cylinder and the valve therefor. Fig. 4 shows a front elevation of a part 5 of a furnace, showing a modified form of my invention applied to the furnace-door. Fig. 5 shows a similar view with the furnace-door in an open position. Fig. 6 shows a sectional View through the valve for controlling the 0 passage-way into the cylinder. Fig. 7 shows a sectional view of the cylinder and valve.

Fig. 8 shows a horizontal sectional view of the cylinder-valve to illustrate the position of the inlet and exhaust opening.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral 10 to indicate the furnace-front.

11 indicates a furnace-door hinged to the front to swing upwardly. This door is fixed to a shaft 12, supported in the hinge members 13. At one end of the shaft 12 is an arm lower end of the cylinder are the inlet passage-way 19 and the outlet passage-way 20.

Attached to the lower end of the cylinder is a valve-chamber 21, having an inlet-pipe 22 communicating with its interior, and in line with the inlet passageway 19 and the upper portion of the valve-chamber it is provided with an exhaust-port 24. Within the valvechamber is a valve 25, having therein a passage-way 26, and fixed to the valve is a valvestem 27, projecting through the bot-tom of the valve-chamber. The said valve is so arranged and proportioned that when in its closed position, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the body portion of the valve will cut off communication between the pipe 22 and the passage-way 1i) and will leave open the passage-way 20, thereby permitting the steam or air in the cylinder to pass outwardly through the said passageway 20, through the valve-chamber, and through the opening 24, and when in its other position the body of the valve will cut off communication through the passage-way 20, and the pipe 22, passage-way 26, and the passage-way 19 will be in line.

Obviously then when in one position steam.

or air may pass through the valve to force the piston 28 upwardly, and when in its other position the piston 28 may descend and the steam or air in the cylinder may exhaust through the passage-way 20 and exhaust-port 24. The piston-rod 29 is connected with the arm 14: by means of the link 30. The said pipe 22 communicates with the branch 31, and one member of the branch 31 is intended to communicate with a chamber containing compressed air and the other branch with a source of steam-supply. The valves32 and 33 control the passages through said branches.

I have provided means whereby the valve 25 may be operated by a fireman, as follows:

The numeral 34 indicates a vertical movable rod in floor 17. This rod is normally held upwardly by means of the spring 35.

The numeral 36 indicates a bracket be- 47 and 48.

neath the floor in which the lever 37 is fulcrumed. The rod 34 is pivotally connected with one end of the lever 37, and the valvestem 27 is pivoted to the other end of said lever. When the operator depresses the rod 34, the valve 25 is set in position to admit compressed air or steam into the cylinder, thereby elevating the piston in the cylinder and opening the furnace-door, and when the operator releases the rod 34 the spring 35 ele-' vates said rod, closes the valve 25, and opens the exhaust-ports of the cylinder, thus permitting the spring 15 to close the door.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 I have-indicated a furnace-door 39, hinged at its side to swing in a horizontal plane. This door is normally closed by means of the spring 40, and a link 41 is pivoted to the door and also to a piston-rod 42. This piston-rod 42 connects with the piston 43, which piston operates in a cylinder 44. This cylinder is secured in position adjacent to the furnace-door, and at the closed end of the cylinder is a cylindrical valve-casing 45. On the interior of the valve-casing 45 is a solid rotary valve 46, having two openings therein at right angles to each, other, said openings being indicated by the numerals A pipe 49 is provided to communicate with the interior of the valve-casing in linewiththeopening47. Anotherpipe5lcommunicates with the opening 48 when the valve is in one position, and when the valve is in this position the opening 48 also communicates with the interior of the cylinder 44. The pipe 49 leads to a branch 52, one portion of which connects with a pipe 53, which communicates with a chamber for compressed air, and the other branch communicates with a steampipe 54. The valves and 56 control, respectively, these branches. The said parts are so arranged in proportion that when the valve 46 is in one position a passage-Way is provided throughthe pipe 49, through the valve-chamber, through the opening 47, and through the opening 50 into the cylinder 44, and the pressure of the compressed air or steam in the cylinder will force the piston outwardly, thus opening-the door by means of the link 41. in its other position the contents of the cylinder 44 may escape through the opening '48 in the valve and through the pipe 5l to a point of discharge. I have provided means for operating the valve 46, as follows: Mounted upon the valve-stem 57 is a crank-arm 58,

havingapitman 59 connected therewith. The pitman 59 is pivoted to a rod 60, and this rod 60 connects with a lever 37, as before described.

In practical use it is obvious that only a very slight amount of pressure is necessary to depress the rod 34. The fireman may when Then when the valve is set he desires to open the furnace-door simply place his foot upon the top of the rod 34, thus permitting steam or compressed air to enter the cylinder and force the furnace-door open against the pressure of the door closing spring. The door will thus be opened quickly and with the expending of a very small amount of steam or compressed air. The door will be automatically closed by the spring when the pressure on the rod 34 is relieved. Furthermore, the door will not close too rapidly, because the compressed'air or steam in the cylinder must escape through a comparatively small opening. This will-retard the closing of the door sufficiently to prevent all jars and shocks to the furnace-door or the furnace-front which would be caused after a heavy furnacedoor were forcibly closed by a spring.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An improved furnace-door-operating apparatus, comprising a spring-closed door, a cylinder open at one end and having inlet and discharge ports at its other end, a piston in the cylinder, means connected with the piston for opening the door, a second cylinder ports communicating with those of the first cylinder, means for introducing fluid under pressure to the second cylinder and a valve in the second cylinder susceptible in one position of admitting the fluid to the first cylinder, and in its other position, permitting the fiuid to escape from the first cylinder.

' 2. An improved furnace-door-operatingapparatus, comprising a hinged door, a spring wound upon the hinge-pintle for closing the door, an arm projecting from the door, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, means for connecting the piston with the said arm, a second cylinder arranged at right angles to the first, and having two openings therein, communicating with the interior of the first cylinder,-two pipes com ninnicating with the second cylinder, a rotary valve in the second cylinder, having two openings at right angles to each other and susceptible in one position of providing a passage-way from one pipe to. the interior of the first cylinder, and at its other position, of providing a passageway from the other pipe to the interior of the cylinder, a crank-arm connected with the rotary valve and a spring-raised foot-lever connected with said crank-arm, arranged and combined substantially in the manner set forth and for the purposes stated.

JOHN E. SWONSON. 

